Chapter 36: Allegri's "Accomplice" Arrives in Milan
It exploded.
Not just in Spain's football media—but across all of Europe and the entire footballing world. The aftermath of El Clásico was absolute devastation.
The stronger Real Madrid had looked in La Liga and the Champions League leading up to the match, the more shocking the fallout became after their five-goal humiliation at the hands of Barcelona.
Sure, most media outlets had predicted that Madrid might still lose, but no one expected it to be this bad.
A full-fledged five-finger slap.
Mourinho's icy composure on the sidelines and Piqué's infamous "five fingers" taunt made front-page headlines across Spanish sports media.
Only now did people remember that Mourinho had warned everyone before the match—they needed to be more "pragmatic."
And what did that mean exactly? Last season, Mourinho had already demonstrated the formula when Inter knocked out Barcelona in the Champions League.
Possession football wasn't invincible.
But if you tried to match Barcelona attack for attack?
Well… that wasn't pragmatism. That was suicide.
The previously frenzied media hype died down immediately.
A few fans were still attacking Mourinho, but their voices were shrinking fast within Madrid's massive fanbase.
The very next morning, Mourinho brought Karanka along to a high-level emergency meeting with Real Madrid's board.
Meanwhile, at a silent and deserted Valdebebas training ground, only one figure appeared on the pitch at the scheduled time.
The rest of Madrid's psychologically bruised stars were resting at home, "recovering."
Li Ang, who wasn't in the squad for Matchday 13, was naturally upset about the loss. But once the anger passed, all he felt was motivation to train harder.
In a way, Mourinho had protected him.
At least he hadn't been dragged down with the rest of the team during that collective implosion.
No matter how furious the fans were, none of it landed on Li Ang.
Still, he felt conflicted.
At the end of the day, he simply wasn't strong enough yet.
He was calm by nature, but just thinking about how helpless his teammates had looked on the pitch made something inside him burn.
He couldn't rest.
At 10 a.m., after finishing the high-level meeting, Mourinho had finally secured the authority he needed.
He was exhausted—dry-mouthed, mentally drained—and had no desire to go home.
So he told Karanka to drive him to Valdebebas.
As they stepped into the office and pulled open the blinds, they saw him:
One lone figure practicing short passes in the distance.
Mourinho froze.
"When did he get here?"
Karanka leaned closer to the window and shook his head. "No idea. Didn't we give the whole squad the day off?"
He picked up his phone and made a quick call.
Moments later, he turned back to Mourinho with the answer.
"José, security says Li Ang showed up just after 8 a.m."
Silence.
Then Mourinho finally spoke.
"Add a priority loan and buyback clause. I won't give them a purchase option outright, but if we ever decide to loan or sell him, AC Milan gets first dibs. That's my limit.
Finalize the terms. If Allegri still refuses, I'll loan him to Inter instead."
Watching Li Ang drenched in sweat, still drilling repetitive short passes, Mourinho made up his mind to compromise—on his own terms.
Allegri wanted a buyout clause. Mourinho would never agree to that.
But a priority loan and buy option? That he could tolerate.
As long as it got Li Ang to Milan and into consistent playing time for half a season, that was all that mattered.
After six months, Mourinho was bringing him back to the Madrid first team.
Sell Li Ang? Absolutely not.
In fact, after the Barcelona debacle, Mourinho had decided to get rid of That Guy.
Let him stay the rest of the season, collect some stat-padding assists behind the strikers, and then sell him to some desperate Premier League team in the summer.
Li Ang was going to be one of his main holding midfielders next season.
If Diarra tried to act up, Mourinho wouldn't hesitate to put him in his place either.
He was already thinking long-term for Li Ang.
So there was zero chance he'd sell him now.
Let Allegri enjoy the dream for six months.
But when the season ended—that dream would be over.
With that decision made, Mourinho's mood lifted a little.
He turned again to the pitch, watching Li Ang go through the same tedious short-passing drill, over and over again.
His eyes glimmered with anticipation.
"Don't disappoint me, kid…"
January 3rd, 2011, evening.
Li Ang returned to the starting lineup and helped Real Madrid beat Getafe 3-1 in La Liga.
But what surprised many was how long he stayed on the pitch after the match.
As one of the key players behind Madrid's six straight wins in the Champions League group stage, Li Ang had already become a fan favorite among away supporters.
A few keen fans sensed something was off—but most didn't think much of it.
That is, until the next morning.
AS dropped a bombshell exclusive:
Li Ang had boarded a flight to Milan and would officially complete his loan move to AC Milan.
Suddenly, those who had watched him linger on the pitch last night realized—
Li Ang had been saying goodbye.
In an instant, stunned and furious fans flooded Madrid's official website and social media, demanding to know why he was leaving.
But they seemed to forget…
Just a few months ago, they were the ones chanting for "beautiful attacking football" and dismissing ugly victories.
Just like Madridistas, AC Milan fans were also stunned.
Madrid and Milan had done a brilliant job keeping negotiations under wraps. Everything was settled in advance, and the moment the winter window opened, they dropped the official announcement.
Only hand-picked media knew. No leaks. A textbook surprise signing.
After all, Li Ang had already started six Champions League matches for Madrid. His talent and ability were widely recognized.
For Milan, it was a bargain.
They only had to pay half his salary—just €250,000 after tax—to land a talented, match-ready youngster.
Most Milan fans, after recovering from the initial shock, were thrilled.
But as always, there were exceptions.
Some diehard fans, furious about Allegri pushing out Ronaldinho and Pirlo, saw Li Ang as the latest "accomplice" in the locker room purge.
They showed up at the airport holding signs that read:
"No Li Ang, We Want Pirlo!"
They staged a silent protest outside the terminal.
But it was nothing more than a brief interruption.
The deal moved forward without a hitch.
January 4th, 2011, 11:00 a.m.
Allegri's so-called "accomplice" officially arrived in Milan.
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